For the second in a series of twelve anime things I’ll remember from 2007, I’m going to discuss Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo, a film I saw back in July that took me on an emotional journey. It started out with mundaneity, expanded with childlike optimism, and then gradually decayed into gloominess and desperation until it reached an acceptance of life’s unforgiving realities. All of those were projected by a combination of great looking visuals, framing, and voice acting.
A major part of making me and other viewers feel compassion for Makoto and her friends was the fluid animation. Madhouse Studios was responsible for the high quality visuals and motion throughout the film. It showed in big scenes such as the first train crash in which Makoto is coasting toward the tracks on a bicycle with broken brakes and the “second” crash with Makoto frantically but hopelessly chasing after Kosuke and his girlfriend riding the same broken bike, enduring through the cuts and bruises that she gets on her way down the busy street. The attention to detail also appears more subtly when Makoto, Chiaki, and Kosuke playing catch after school or the twisting legs of a confused Makoto sitting in a bathtub.
As I’m sure I’ve mentioned a coupled times before, I am a fan of framing that utilizes empty space and usually that technique is used to illustrate loneliness and/or provide a sense of scale between the characters and their environment. The image of Makoto standing on a trail next to a river against a horizon of a sun that has just set after her friend Chiaki kissed her and left is heartbreaking and conveys a sense of meaninglessness. Five months ago I wrote that that moment was “the lowest valley on the emotional trip I took while watching the film”. Although I agree that it was one of the deepest parts of the film, I now think that the Makoto-running-after-Kosuke scene was more effective in evoking a pit within my stomach.
Finally, the voice acting from Makoto’s naivety to Auntie’s calm advice to Chiaki’s stern scolding brought the film to life and gave it a sense that although it was science fiction, the emotions were genuine. I felt awkward seeing Makoto’s classmates amongst each other as her plan to change things for the better really began to crumble, smirking when she got to enjoy her previously eaten pudding, and relieved that Kosuke and his girl actually didn’t crash after all the frantic cutting and yelling in that climactic “false ending” of a scene. Wow, that’s three times I’ve referenced the same part of a movie. Maybe I should wrap this one up since I’m posting this pretty late anyway.
While composing this post, I felt like going back and watching the movie again mainly for the cinematography and technical parts but also just to see it again, something I might do during this winter break. Bandai announced its license of the film last week at NYAF and has a trailer for it up on their Revver page. I’d be interested to see what kind of extras are on the DVD whenever a date is eventually announced after its limited theatrical release in the US.
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That first picture always makes me laugh. That was definitely one of the funniest parts in the whole film. :D